Chief Solution Architects

Rowden; Bristol; Hybrid; GBP 80,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

Rowden is seeking a Chief Solution Architect to lead the design and technical delivery of high-performance infrastructure. This role involves managing complex engineering challenges and providing authoritative technical leadership in a hybrid working environment. The ideal candidate will possess deep experience in mission-critical enterprise contexts and be comfortable engaging with stakeholders at all levels.

Qualifications

• Deep experience in delivering hybrid IT platforms.
• Expertise in building resilient, high-availability infrastructure.
• Experience in multi-supplier environments.

Responsibilities

• Architect and enable delivery of scalable, resilient platforms.
• Lead and mentor cross-functional teams.
• Engage stakeholders to communicate technical strategies.

Skills

Leadership

Stakeholder Engagement

Agile Methodology

Job description

Department: Engineering

Location: Bristol, UK

Description

We’re building the next UK-headquartered engineering powerhouse. At Rowden, we design and integrate advanced systems that sense, connect, and protect data in challenging environments where quick decisions are vital. Our solutions use intelligent automation to enhance speed and efficiency and are built to be reliable and straightforward for critical operations in remote or high-pressure settings.

Headquartered in Bristol (UK), we combine modern engineering methods with cutting-edge commercial technology to create adaptable, mission-critical systems. We focus on solving tough challenges that others overlook, ensuring our customers can operate effectively in an ever-changing world.

About the Role

Rowden is winning increasingly significant programmes, building platforms that enable operational advantage for the most discerning and demanding customers. We're addressing complex technical challenges and delivering complex engineering at pace for users operating at the edge. As we grow, we're looking for brilliant, bold technical leaders to join our mission.

Our Chief Solution Architects lead the design and technical delivery of resilient, high-performance infrastructure—from discrete capability drops to enterprise-scale IT systems. These roles are technically deep and hands-on, with responsibility for shaping and owning technical strategy, governance, and decision-making across fast-paced programmes.

You will provide authoritative technical leadership for our platform deliveries—owning the architectural direction, guiding design decisions, and ensuring delivery aligns with Secure by Design principles. While remaining hands-on where needed, your primary focus will be on leading and enabling a high-performing team, ensuring coherence across disciplines, and resolving critical technical risks.

While this role offers hybrid working options, it requires a minimum of 3 days per week on-site at our Bristol HQ with frequent travel to customer sites. Candidates must be willing to obtain UKNSV security clearance, with SC clearance being essential and DV clearance desirable.

Key areas of responsibility

1. Architect and enable delivery of scalable, resilient platforms using contemporary infrastructure and virtualisation technologies.
2. Manage technical scope and risk throughout the project lifecycle, ensuring appropriate mitigation strategies are defined, tracked, and implemented.
3. Define and implement high availability, disaster recovery, and backup strategies, integrating platforms with enterprise services such as identity, directory, networking, and security monitoring services.
4. Lead the deployment, configuration, and validation of infrastructure; apply modern design best practices; resolve technical issues; and manage escalations with third-party vendors as required.
5. Deliver observability and operational insight through telemetry, dashboarding, and reporting, ensuring alignment with ITILv4 practices and ServiceNow workflows.
6. Engage stakeholders at all levels to communicate technical strategies, produce high-quality design documentation and SOPs, and ensure successful service integration in diverse delivery environments.
7. Lead and mentor cross-functional teams—within Rowden or including external delivery partners—across infrastructure, DevOps, cloud, and security disciplines, championing Secure by Design, automation, engineering excellence, and continuous improvement.

Key skills, experience, and behaviours

Essential

• Deep experience in delivering hybrid IT platforms in mission-critical enterprise contexts.
• Expertise in building resilient, high-availability infrastructure.
• Experience designing or operating platforms across multiple locations with high availability and disaster recovery built-in.
• Experience in multi-supplier environments and ITSM-based operations.
• Comfortable engaging stakeholders at a range of levels up to and including C-suite.
• Experience in enterprise identity management systems and support and deployment to remote edge users.
• Experience working in a SAFe Agile methodology.
• Leadership of cross-functional teams, either internal or multi-partner.

Highly Desirable

• MOD data centre experience.
• Obsolescence management and environmental compliance.
• Experience working with Secure By Design and Zero Trust methodologies.
• ServiceNow architectures and experience.

Working at Rowden

We are committed to building a flexible, inclusive, and enabling company. Our aim is to create a diverse team of talented people with unique skills, experience, and backgrounds. We support flexible working and are open to discussing part-time roles, workplace adjustments, and hybrid working arrangements.

Rowden is a Disability Confident Committed company, actively encouraging applications from people with disabilities and health conditions. Please inform us of your requirements early to facilitate an inclusive recruitment process.

If you believe you have transferable skills and relevant experience but do not meet all criteria, we still encourage you to apply.